Sail Away
by silversrider
Summary: They are sailing the world together, meeting pirates, villains. But if you are true to yourself, can the sea really replace the love you lost? Rated T for character dead. Pairing: Skilene. (glimpse of Julene) Humanized.
1. Prologue: As Rough As The Sea

_I got this idea suddenly somewhere today..._

_I hope you're going to enjoy this story :D_

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**Prologue: As Rough As The Sea**

With a large smile on his face, the young shipper watched his sailors running back and forth over the deck of his ship. A young boy, sweeping the deck, some sweat dripping down from his face. A larger man, stood in front of the rudder. The man looked with great confidence into the direction he steered the ship. And then there was a man, wearing filthy clothes, hanging high in the mast, knotting the headsail to the mast together.

The shipper couldn't imagine a better way to spend his days, working beside his sailors, but also his best friends. Spending the days alone with them in the middle of a lonely sea. No one to disturb them from their pursuits. No women, no girls to get their minds away from their daily tasks. That is how he liked it. Complete focus on her, and on her only. She was the one who helped them through the roughest storms, she has saved their lives uncountable times. She was the one he could trust one. The one beside, under him. The one he had known from the start of his career. His ship.

'Marlene'. He had named her Marlene. After a girl he had known a long time ago. When he was just a teenager. He wouldn't say that he was old now, he only was older than back then. He could feel her now. He could see her now. The ship... The love between them... Unbreakable... Until it broke...

Sailing the never-ending seas, as he would have liked to sail through her heart, explore the depths of her mind, like he explored the depths of those waters. He leaned against the railing of his ship. He wondered if he would have sailed away, accepted this job, if she was still next to him. He shook his head. He was needed. He was a man. He needed to be strong. He needed to get through his life, like he had dreamed he would. Like his father had said he would.

The three sailors lined up in front of him. All of them with a small smile on their face. Everyone of them done with their tasks. The ship steadily sailing towards the rising sun, the deck cleaned and the headsail being tight up nicely. The shipper smiled back. "Good job boys."

The ship sailed further and further on. The dark sea slamming mercilessly against it, leaving white foam flying in the air. Beautiful, strong and unbreakable, the ship sailed through all the mighty sea throw at it. As if it wasn't going to stop for anyone or anything. But nothing is as it seems. Maybe the sea isn't as forceful as it looks... The foam not as white as it seems... Maybe the ship isn't as strong as it appeared to be...

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_:) I hope you enjoyed it so far!_


	2. Chapter 1: Memories Take The Heart Out

_Here's the first chapter._

_Enjoy! :)_

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**Chapter 1: Memories Take The Heart Out**

He sat down at his desk. He still had to write several letters and postcards for his friends and family. He had made most of the 'friends' in the cities he had visited when travelling and exploring the seas. The shipper laid down his pen. It was not like his family actually knew what was going on in his life, or really cared about it. Three words were enough for them. _"I am alive."_

He peered into the darkness, only vaguely seeing the sea in front of him. It was quiet, except for the constant rhythmic beating of the waves against the ship. How much could she take? How much can a body take?

The man enjoyed living at the open sea. He had once tried living in a city. The ringing alarms from cars, the sirens from fire trucks, all the people rushing through their lives... It drove him on edge.

_The sun shone bright above their heads. The beams of light catching in her long, brown hair. She was just so perfect, he couldn't stop looking at her. As if he saw a start falling from heaven. He shook his head._

The shipper snapped back to reality. His navigator stood in front of him, smiling a little. Apparently, he had watched the star-filled night sky deep in his thoughts. The large man smiled at him and for the very first time, the shipper noticed how large and skinny he actually was. "Skipper, we are still sailing on course." The shipper nodded. He remembered how his friends, or he could better say, former friends reacted when he wanted to be called as what he was doing. The friends he had now, in other words; his sailors, didn't mind that they didn't even know his real name. He didn't want the others to find out about his family. For him, that was the past. He knew two periods in his life. 'Before the sea' and 'at the sea'.

The first part of his life... He couldn't decide whether it was the best or worst part. Sure, falling in love was nice and all, but it never brought more than broken hearts and despair in the end. When you love something or someone, you're bound to end up heartbroken. When you're alone, without love or hope, there's nothing that could be taken from you. And that is how he lived at the sea. Sure, he _loved_ his sailors on a non-romantic way, but what would be lost if they were gone? Just like Manfredi... Johnson... And... Nothing... Nothing would be lost.

The large penguin in front of him cleared his throat. Skipper looked up at him. He had been so lost in thoughts again that he had forgotten about the large man standing in front of him. He received a weird look, but ignored that. He knew perfectly well that it was nothing like him to be lost in thoughts. He was a man of action, punching everything that came too close for his liking. He nodded. "Good. Keep on the good work, Kowalski." He replied. The man in front of him quickly saluted and walked away. Skipper turned towards the railing. It was his favorite place to just come and think about strategies, or watch the sea. He loved violence on the tv, but he wasn't able to take a cable with him on sea. Luckily, he had still a radio, on which he could follow some events.

_Her eyes, bright, brown. They appeared to be full of life, shimmering in the white light above them. But when he touched her left hand… Cold._

Skipper turned away from the railing. Maybe it was his friend, the sea, who made him remember the things he wanted to forget the most. He took a deep breath and went inside. He saw the other two sailors laying in their beds, sleeping tightly. He laid down on his own bed. If only he could think about that delicious plate of fish, a great battle on the middle of the sea… He fell asleep, dreaming of the things he wanted to dream about for once in a very long time, leaving his body laying on his bed with a big smile on his face.

_Her white teeth, smiling broadly at him. With her hand, she threw her hair backwards, falling over her shoulders. Waving, long curls. She looked at him, happily, but then turned away. She took a hand, but not his. She held it close to her heart. If only he had been the one next to her._

He turned around. He tried to hide his head behind a pillow. He awoke and looked around the room. It was already led by small beams of sunlight and he became conscious about the salty smell of the rushing sea. He rolled over and laid the pillow back. The others were still sleeping. He took out his old watch, in one hour he would have to go wake the others, but now he had to check the course, the ship and the sea. He would watch the rest of the sunrise from behind the rudder.

He shuddered softly when he touched the rudder. It was a little cold, but the wood still felt soft and welcoming. He smiled and took the compass. Kowalski had been right, they were going in the right direction and that had been the same, even though everybody went to sleep. He loved his ship, he truly did. His eyes scanned the sea, empty as always. It had been a long time ago since he had seen another one sailing by. But he didn't mind. There was always a chance that there were pirates or enemies on those ships. He scanned the seas one more time, just to make sure everything _was _safe. He then took one of his tape-recorders out of a drawer. A shipper had to keep a log, and that's what he did. Only not with pen and paper, he used recordings. It never made sense to him to use something that could be easily destroyed by water as ink on paper. One wave, and you're log was completely gone. With tape recorders, only the recorder would break, leaving the tape and thus the log still intact. And that's how he liked to keep his logs. Intact.

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_Thank you for reading! I hope you're liking it! :)_


	3. Chapter 2:Recordings Of Empty Dreams

_And here is chapter two!_

_Please have fun :)_

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**Chapter 2: Recordings Of Empty Dreams**

"_I can't take it anymore…" He heard her say. The man looked back when he walked past her. The woman had been talking to her boyfriend, a worried expression on her face. "What can I do about this?" He heard her vaguely ask, but he walked further on, looking at the gray sky in front of him._

Skipper softly let his large hand run over the tape recorder. It was his special one. Not meant for his logs, not meant for his reports on the wildest seas, not meant his thoughts about the destinations they reached. This tape recorder was his heart, that what he wanted to say or more likely, scream from the top of the world. But it was not meant for anybody to hear but him.

With a small push on the button, he released a soft crackling noise and the running sound of the tapes joined the sounds of the ship breaking through the sea. The longer Skipper listened to it, The more the separated sounds faded and became one with all the sounds surrounding him. It became almost unnoticeable, normal between the sounds of the rushing sea he had come to get used at. He sat there for a while, listening to the nothingness of the empty tape.

_The two in front of the altar moved closer to each other, their arms embracing their bodies, strangled in a hug of supposed-to-be never-ending love. Last row. Seat most left. Hands in his lap. Head bended. Tears running down his face._

He wasn't a man for sitting down and doing nothing, staring at the corner of the room and listen to the sound of his unrecorded memories. He was a man of action, a man filled with violence and rapid moves. And now, he was sitting on the cold wooden floor of his ship, dreaming about things that could have been and should have been. But how many mistakes can one make? How many mistakes more can one make?

He put the recorder back and buried his heads in his hands. When would he forget the memories, the stream of visions of the life of others he had been watching? When would he forget the envy he had felt such a long time ago? The thing he had reached for, had lived for, had been torn apart by differences and fear. And love. But not the love for him.

_Her soft hands lay in his. Her brown eyes looked deep into his blue ones. A small smile appeared on her face, before she took his hands and held them right in front of his chest. "Skipper… You will always be my friend… Even if I am marrying someone else." Her voice spoke softly. A feeling of disappointment filled his whole body._

The salty air, the heavy, large and fast movements the ship woke Skipper. He took a look around. Apparently, he had fallen asleep right in the spot he had been sitting in. He rubbed his eyes, before noticing the yells of his sailors. He jumped up and ran outside to the deck, gripping the door and the railing to prevent himself from falling.

"_You didn't have to marry him…" He said softly, wrapping his arm around her warm shoulders. She laid her head against his chest. "You will never understand."_

The white foam of the sea was spread out on the wooden floor of the deck. It had made it wet, slippery and almost impossible to keep on standing on his feet when the ship tilted. 'When the weather is turning moist, always cut, never hoist. Always cut. Never hoist.' The mantra played over and over in his head. "Cut the mainsail!" He yelled at Rico, who immediately climbed in the mast.

"_Marlene… If only I paid more attention to your words." His hands gripped her cold ones and he brought them to his chest. "Feel this, Marlene? That's my heart!" The tears streamed down his face. "Do you feel it beating?!" He yelled to her lifeless face. "It's not mine that is supposed to do so, it's yours!"_

He watched his sailors running back and forth over the deck. The sea had turned into a white surface with all the foam seemingly floating through the air. The boat shook heavily from the forces of the waves. The mainsail wasn't yet cut, the wind made the boat tilt again. Private took hold of the rail on the side of the boat. Some of the navigator's maps went overboard. Skipper looked at his sailor high up in the sails.

_Skipper looked away from the hypnotizing beauty of her brown eyes. "Skipper… I don't trust him. He doesn't care about me at all!" She said, her voice filled with despair. He took her face in his hands. "Marlene… You are going to marry a king…"_

"Rico! Rico!" Yelled Private and Kowalski, while they were watching the man in the mast. Large waves of salty seawater flushed over the deck, almost sweeping Skipper off his feet. He regained his balance and looked at the mainsail. It was cut now, Rico had succeeded. "Rico! Come down now!" The shipper yelled to the man in the mast.

_Seemingly happy walked the bride off with the groom. Placed upon her long wavy brown hair was a large diamond tiara. Her white gown made her look like an angel. And he? He sat there on the wooden bench. Crying with his face in his hands. The music played on and on, happy songs filled the room. Songs about the beauty of love. The beauty of two hearts meant for each other._

"Rico! Come immediately down!" Skipper yelled, but his words failed to reach the man. The salty sea wind blew them away, before even he, himself could hear them. Although the mainsail was cut, the ship was still tilting and moving violently. "Rico!"

"_Do you take Marlene as your wife?" He looked up for the vows, but didn't really hear them. He just imagined the basic words coming from their mouths. Marlene nodded. He slammed his fist upon the hard, dark wooden bench. And she is gone. He thought, slowly after he saw her nod. Somehow, he stopped crying. She is gone._

The horrified yells of his sailors were heard clearly over the sounds of the battle between the ship and the sea. Skipper looked once up to the man in the mast.

_He folded his hands over hers. "You have to go now." He says, pushing her hands softly in front of her chest. He took out a small tissue and wiped away her anticipated mascara. He gave the woman in the white gown a small nod. "You can do it." She smiled back. "You are a true friend."_

But the man in the mast was gone. "Rico?!" He yelled. "Rico!"

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_Thank you for reading so far, I hope your still liking it :)_


	4. Chapter 3: Way Too Late To Let Go

_I am so sorry for the long wait, but anyway, here is the next chapter! :D_

_Have fun!_

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**Chapter 3: Way Too Late To Let Go**

"Rico!" He called over the sea as he saw his sailor disappearing in the black, high waves of the wild sea. The ship still moved violently over the waves, but thanks to Rico's success to cut the mainsail, it was less than before. Still, the men had to hold on tightly to the mast and the railing to not follow Rico into the depths of the dark sea, the monster with only a devouring mouth. Skipper managed to get hold of some of the ropes which were attached to the mast to hold one of the sails in place. Still, he searched the waters for a sign of life, only a glimpse of a head, hand, foot, Skipper didn't care what it would be, as long as it was something.

_Her head turned towards him for a second and she looked at him. Her eyes seemed the only living things in her mask of faked happiness. Was he the only one seeing the anxiety and despair in her eyes? The fear of her life changing forever and to never come back... Was he the only one?  
_

Skipper waited for a second, still holding on to the rope. Then he suddenly moved and started to run from railing to railing. "Rico!" He yelled over and over again, while searching the sea for his friend. Even though the ship still moved violently and swept him often of his feet. Soon, Kowalski and Private joined him. Together they seemed to search every inch of the visible sea, but the waves were too high and they had dragged the ship already far away...

_"It's alright, everything is alright." He didn't have the guts to tell it, not even now. And if he would tell her... Could she listen to him? He wasn't crazy, he knew perfectly well that she wouldn't and couldn't even hear him. Not anymore. His tears fell down on her fragile body. His warm and big hands enclosed her thin and cold ones.__ "Alright..."  
_

His navigator turned towards him. His eyes were filled with large and salty tears and even though the captain knew that it wasn't because of the drops of salty sea water flying around the ship, or the wind playing with the waves of the sea, his heart still denied every possibility that he had lost his sailor. Maybe it was all a lie... His tears, the storm, the sea, the wedding. Lies. Let it all be lies. Nightmares, everything besides the reality, the truth. It just doesn't exist, everything and anything. He would wake up again in a safe and warm bed, in the middle of New York City. Not on a ship on a wild sea.

_He hadn't seen her for months. The new happy husband had almost tied her to the house, like a puppy on a lease. She was not allowed to see anyone, especially men without his majesty's approval. She always had to stay in his boundaries, one step out of his sight would raise a tornado. Was that love? She was so__ thin... Her skin so pale... Unhealthy and unlucky was her appearance. "I am worried about you..." He said, piercing with his sapphire blue eyes into her brown ones. "There is nothing to be worried about, trust me." She said in a voice that almost sounded like her own, if it wasn't so breakable, so thin. Hiding the lies, lying. All lies.  
_

His large hands grabbed the shoulders of the man in front of him. He shook him roughly so that even Kowalski's feet came lose from the wooden deck. "You are lying! It can't, it just can't!" His rough voice yelled over the sound of the rushing sea, mingled with the upcoming sound of the screaming from hungry birds and the sounds of the waves breaking against the ship. The navigator just looked at him, right in his eyes, it felt like he looked right into his soul... His heart. "It can't be..." He said as he sunk back against the railing of _Marlene._ As if somebody stabbed him with a large knife right into his heart and poured it around and around. 'Come on, Skipper! Snap out of this! It is not the first time you lose somebody... He was just a sailor...' He tried to reason with himself, but already knew that he was lying to himself. Rico had been more than just a sailor, he had been a friend, family. They had lived all together on _Marlene, _all because of the same reason and under the same agreements. Silence.

_Her silent form lay on the table as if she was Sleeping Beauty waiting for her prince. He slowly touched her cold hands and bended towards her body. His face was so close to hers... Almost... But he couldn't. She was still his possession. 'Until the death you part...'  
_

He looked up at his navigator, who was kneeling down in front of him. "Skipper! We need you! Get out of this!" Kowalski yelled in his face. It was as if they were parted to a thick curtain made all of fog. Kowalski's words took ages to reach him and even then, they didn't had the impact they should have had. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, his vision became blurred and he had problems deciding whether it was from his manly tears or from the fact he was shielding himself for the outside world. Kowalski's hand seemed to slowly make his way to his face.

_It was over. The king had fallen from his golden throne. His company hadn't survived an economic war, his money was all gone. They had lost everything. Their money, their house, their car... Even their love? It broke him down to read it all in the paper, why hadn't she told him face-to-face?  
_

Skipper ran his hand over the burning red mark of his face. The air seemed salty and moving, the waves were high, and everything seemed to speed up around him. His navigator stood right in front of him, still with his hand lifted and he was looking at it in disbelief. The boy seemed to dash into the picture from out of nowhere. "The ship! The ship! Shouldn't we do something about the ship?" The voice of Private was drenched in fear, his eyes were wide and he seemed to be the only one to understand the importance of the matter to regain full control of the ship again... Even though they had lost a sailor, friend or member of their special little family.

_Even now she couldn't object anymore, he would still appreciate her choses... Even though they weren't smart... Even though they weren't reasonable. He moved away from her pale and gray-like face and sat back in the chair besides the table. "It's time, sir." A voice called out from behind him. 'Is it time to let go?' He asked himself. As he stood up and silently looked over her body for a last time.  
_

He got up and immediately came into action. He had to keep the ship as straight up as possible, he yelled commands to the two sailors who were left on his deck. He normally would command them in a lower and softer voice, but the sea was making too much noisy and he even had to admit it, he was a little scared by its great force. Scared of the great power in its waves.

_He could have helped her. Get her back up, lend her a hand. But he had left her, scared for what he would see, what he would have to fight. And all that was left was regret as he saw the paper laying on the table in front of him. Everything she had, all gone. He was too late, way too late._

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_I would like to thank you for reading :)  
_


	5. Chapter 4: Going To Be A Success

_Hello, here is the next chapter :)_

_Please enjoy!_

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**Chapter 4: Going To Be A Success**

She wouldn't listen... With every moment, it sunk deeper and deeper into Skipper's brain. He had lost it... He had lost his fight with his own ship, his own Marlene. _Is this how Julien felt back then?_ The thought came quicker to his mind than that he ever could have imagined. Did he now feel some kind of sympathy for Julien? He shook his head. He couldn't be. It was impossible. That guy had stolen his love, his life. Sympathy was not something he would give someone who stole away everything from him. He was a thief. And still when the first thunderbolt decided to accompany the captain, his ship and the sailors, he could think of nothing else but her...

_Collapsed economies... Dying loved ones... Broken trust... Skipper folded his large hands around the corner of the dark wooden table he was sitting at. He felt sickened by the speed his life was collapsing from right underneath his nose. He had lost his love, lost his friends... He gave a deep sigh. Was it worth staying?_

"Skipper!" His youngest sailor called out. "What can we do?!" He seemed desperate and anxious. Skipper walked slowly and like a real captain to Private, seemingly full of wisdom and determination. "Keep her straight." Was his only command and the young sailor nodded and worked with all his might on the ship.

_"Marlene... Why are you so darn ignorant and stubborn!" He called out after her. Her brown hair danced on her back as she walked away from him, with raging fury in her steps. "Marlene! Wait!" He ran towards her, laid his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it of. "Goodbye, Skipper. Good. Bye."_

"I can't hold her, Skipper!" Kowalski called out from behind the rudder. The ship struggled and fought with the waves but it all seemed to go too quickly for Skipper to come into action. He watched the tall man fighting the rudder with all his might, his little sailor dashing forward and back over the deck, saving what yet could be saved...

_He had left her alone... All alone... In the dark on a table, for two careless and strange hands to cut her open and prepare her for the last goodbye. Her words still echoed in his head, how could he have been so stupid? How could he have let her go away? Why didn't he ever step in and took action. None of this would have happened. She could even be waiting for him now, with a nice bowl of soup and a warm story about her colleagues. But she wasn't. And she never would be again, not for him, not for Julien. His fault._

What could he do to save her? Nothing came to his mind. He looked at the two sailors on his ship. Would they all follow Rico to their fate soon? Could he let that happen?

_He didn't see her anymore ever since. The paper was his only source of information. It drove him mad, but maybe it was better this way. He probably didn't deserve her, she was too good for him..._ _He pushed his black marker hard on Julien's printed face. His anger rose, not only towards the long skinny fool in the picture, but also towards himself._

No. He couldn't. He could not let anyone die for him, not again. Skipper reached out to the lifeboats and Private and Kowalski are with him in seconds. He lowered the lifeboat slowly and carefully down, and then he watched Private and Kowalski getting into the boat. He took a step back, even though they both were yelling that he should join them. But he wouldn't leave his ship, his love, alone ever again. The sea seemed darker than ever and the waves reached high. Another lightening bolt lighted up in the dark sky.

_"So you're leaving?" His friend looked him straight in the eyes. "Why would you leave such a beautiful big city as New York to just go out on sea with a couple of nut-heads on a boat?" The friend played a bit with the bottle in his hands. To be honest, Skipper never really saw him as much of a friend... And now that he had heard all of his accusations... He was glad to be leaving. No more haunting memories, no more pressure of society. He would finally have the chance to be who he really was and to get over her..._

He watched the small boat sailing out of his eyesight. "Gone..." He mumbled silently as he holds himself at the railing of his rocking ship. She seemed to struggle and fight with the strongest waves of the sea, but Skipper felt deep in his gut, that this couldn't go on forever. He didn't attempt to steer the ship in any other way, or to get it straight again. He had fought more than enough in his life. It was over, and he was completely fine with that.

_He raised the sails of 'Marlene' with an excited feeling in his stomach. It was finally going to happen! After all he has been through, he finally could start living. He looked at the three men that had agreed to accompany him on his trip. All without a clear future, even though they all were great individuals. He nodded. This was going to be a success. He could feel it in his gut._

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_Thank you for reading so far :)_


	6. Chapter 5: Last Best Friend

_And here is chapter 5, please enjoy :)_

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**Chapter 5: Last Best Friend**

_Full of maybe a foolish pride, Skipper watched the waves of the sea make way for his new ship. Marlene was everything he had ever wished for and more. Though she would never hold him like the real Marlene could have... She was made out of wood, polished and painted. If you asked him, she had her own mind, she made her own stubborn decisions. Just like a real woman. But she wasn't, she was a thing, without a mind, without feelings. Her decisions were made by the sea, her movements were accompanied by the wind pulling and pushing on her sails. She would __never __ be like the real Marlene, but it was close enough for Skipper. Or at least, it was for now._

He was all alone now, alone with his ship on the sea. Skipper hoped with his whole heart that his brave and loyal sailors would safely reach shore. That they would survive in their little rowing boat... And he knew that he himself wouldn't. He doubted he would see another sunrise when the sunset had finished pushing the sun under the horizon. He doubted he would ever feel again. But he didn't really mind, he was done with living anyway. He softly let his hands run through his hair, doing nothing about the dangerous situation his ship was in. It was almost like a crazed way of suicide, he was going to be murdered by his own ship. "Just the way I want it." He said softly as he watched the waves reaching higher and clashing onto his deck.

_His mother, his father, most of friends, they all waved to him from the docks. How disappointing must it be, to see your promising son or best friend, the one you had imagined with a sparkling future, sail away from you. Future-less and throwing away all his chances at a 'fitting' job. Not that he himself cared about his bright shining future, for him, his future couldn't get any brighter than this. Though maybe if he had had the chance to be spending it with a living Marlene... But that was impossible. He knew he would wake to the sun everyday, the wind would rush through his hair and the waves would rock him to sleep under a starry night sky. He couldn't imagine anything better than that, except for her to be alive and with him._

His ship seemed to sail swiftly through the waves, even though it had been wildly rocking just before. Maybe she had peace with the absence of the other three sailors, maybe she wanted to keep him for herself. But how he would yank at her ropes, she wouldn't give in and she went her own way. Away from save shores farther upon the wild and open sea. It made him realize how fragile he was, how small in comparison to the wind, sea, sun, the whole wide world.

_The others who were joining him, waved to their family and friends at the docks. They smiled, though his youngest sailor seemed to be crying. Skipper knew that it was hard for him, he could see easily how it was to leave everything he was used to and cared for behind. Knowing that if the chances weren't in his favor, he might never return to them ever again. And that all for an adventure on sea with strangers, not having a final destination, except for transporting goods from dock to dock. There was no saying when or whether they would reach New York City's dock again..._

He folded his roughened hands around the hard wooden railing of his ship. He knew that, with a ship in this state, ripped sails, broken railings, she even had a hole in her side, he wouldn't be able to reach shore. He knew he could end up starving, alone in the open sea, nothing but the beautiful emptiness of the sea surrounding him. He clenched his hand around the railing and a splinter made its way right into his hand. He looked surprised at it, as if the pain was a new phenomenon to him. He had made his decision. Starving on the sea wouldn't be his dead.

_The small sailor wiped away a tear from his cheek as the other two were busy with the sails and navigation. Skipper placed a soft and clean hand on his shoulder, the boy turned around and looked right into his eyes. His tears dried immediately, a small half-smile appeared. Trust._

He stepped on the railing and opened his arms like an eagle. He watched the waves rolling on the endless sea. He took a deep breath and felt the salty sea air making its way to his lungs through his nose. He steadily kept his balance on the railing.

_They spent months and months together on the sea, sailing from dock to dock. He gave them all the opportunities to leave his ship, to find another life, but they declined every single time. Together, they fought pirates, rescued stranded shippers and watched the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets together. Marlene didn't break down once, her sails stayed strong, her wood was kept from rotting. She stayed in one piece, no matter how high the waves, how hard the wind, how though the storm._

A big wave made him lose his balance, Marlene threw him from her deck. He fell right in the cold and dark water, but he wasn't afraid. His breathing seemed to stop immediately when he reached the surface of the water and his memory seemed to clear at the exact moment.

_Her small, white and cold hands seemed to close around his too. He sperred his eyes wide open and watched her face in shock._

His body wouldn't give up so easily, it seemed, he resurfaced and his lungs screamed for air. He obeyed and gasped.

_He held his head close to her chest, while his hands were still folded around hers. He searched desperately for a sign of life. "Don't let me down now..."_

He swam and swam, trying to stay afloat. But cramps soon filled his body, he wanted to scream, to be saved, but he was draining from his last strength.

_Nothing... She hadn't reacted on his pleading, begging. She wouldn't come back, she had really left him..._

One last time, his feet kicked him up and he gasped for air, which painful filled his drowning lungs. He sunk slowly in the depths of his last best friend... The sea...

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_Thank you for reading so far :)  
_


	7. Epilogue: As Soft As The Sea

_And here is the epilogue :)_

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**Epilogue: As Soft As The Sea**

His hands softly reached over to the long man next to him. With a small smile, the man grabbed the hands of the younger one. Behind them, a man with a Mohawk manned the ship. It was steered to a place they had left quite some time ago, a place where they had left their friend behind. The sea had been quiet ever since. The waves rocked the boat softly and comforting, as if it was telling them that everything was alright. It was as if they were once again accompanied by an old friend that they had left because of a drunken fight.

Some wooden pieces drifted around the ship, floating in circular movements around them. Mockingly and ominously as if they were telling them a story the men on the ship didn't want to hear. Private looked at the wooden pieces, soaking wet and floating along on the water. He then looked at the man beside him, who was looking at the wooden pieces too. "Is that from... Her, from Marlene?" He stuttered in a childish way as his hands clenched the railing of the ship. "I-I don't know, Private." Was the man's reply. Private swallowed back some tears when he saw the worried look on Kowalski's face. "Every wooden piece that's floating around us could be all from different ships, right? Hypothetically speaking?" Private said with a shivering voice as he watched the wooden pieces. "Hypothetically..." The man next to him repeated silently.

_Kowalski had found his dream job back in NYC. He had become a scientist in one of the government's biggest laboratories. He had proven several important scientific laws wrong, and more than once, he had blown up the lab. He was happy and had been able to give both Private and Rico a warm home. The younger boy had been studying hard and Rico had found a job as a minesweeper, for the government too. And still, every night, when he had put Private to sleep after convincing him that their friend was alright, he still heard the sobs of his other friend before he would go into another night of dreaded insomnia._

And there, in the setting sun, they saw the last recognizable piece of Marlene, her long and filthy sail. It drove past them, waving on the waves as a friend who said goodbye for the last time. Private clenched his hands tighter around the wooden railing. A splinter made its way into his flesh, sinking deep and leaving a small drip of blood at the point it had come in. "Maybe... Maybe it has just ripped off... Maybe he is still okay..." He said silently, watching the ship and the sail distancing from each other.

"I doubt it... I really do..." Kowalski said as he looked at the boy. "I think we better turn the ship... I know enough." He said before walking off to Rico.

The younger boy looked with tear filled eyes at the sea. "Skipper..." He whispered silently. "Goodbye..." He turned around and walked away from the sight of the violent and murderous sea, away from the memories and his feelings. "Friend..."

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_I hope you liked this story and I would like to thank everybody for reading, faving, following and reviewing :)  
_


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